Power meter specialist Verve Cycling has introduced MYPOWER, which is positioned as an opportunity for riders with a power meter to ‘join a community of other riders, get expert advice, data analysis and access to training camps and special events’. This is also aimed at ensuring they ‘get the maximum return from their investment in InfoCrank’, the power meter from Verve.
The company adds that two years of customer research is the driver behind the new service offer, ‘MYPOWER from Verve Cycling, the manufacturer of the InfoCrank, and the official supplier to the Great Britain Cycling Team and the UCI World Cycling Centre.’
Verve’s customer interactions indicated that ‘most buyers of power devices have very little idea how to discriminate between the marketing claims of competing products’. It was also felt that many professional and amateur cyclists alike do not know what to do with the information that comes from their device.
Verve adds that talking to power meter users has shown that the manufacturers have been missing the point… ‘Owning an accurate device is only half the requirement for success. For example, in a recent survey by Verve, only 40% of riders who had a power meter had done an FTP test. Some did not know what an FTP test was; and some did not know that [a rider] could upload data to a site for analysis.’
Key objectives/features of MYPOWER:
- A community for riders to learn with a view to improvement.
- Members of the community include leading coaches, scientists, training camp providers, power experts and other riders.
- InfoCrank users have ‘members only’ access, which includes the ability to upload training data and access detailed analysis of training sessions, races or cycling events.
- New members are offered a 12 week ‘improvement plan’ to get them started on goal focused riding with power.
- Members have access to ongoing advice in relation to their personal goals and training/racing information.
- Interaction within the programme directly between MYPOWER experts and the InfoCrank user.
- A growing library of general information curated for ease of access and understanding.
- Members may ‘ask the expert’ for specific or general advice.
- Members have preferential access to training camps and some major events in conjunction with partners to the project.
Verve Cycling adds that MYPOWER is ‘not designed to replace coaches, but rather to enable riders to take their independent steps as they decide when or whether they wish to use a coach.’
The aim simply is to help riders to improve on the bike and enjoy riding more. The testimonies of those who have accessed the programme over the last three years shows that this method of empowerment really works in conjunction with truly accurate (true and precise) data.
Full membership of MYPOWER is €10 per month of membership.
